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supported projects 2011

In 2011 the selection committee granted 25 projects:

Bolivia - LGBT films in suburbs of La Paz

Informing teenagers from suburbs of the Bolivian capital La Paz about the lives and rights of lesbian, gay, bisexuals and transgenders; that is the aim of this project. In the first two weeks of March 2012, film screenings will take place in five major suburbs of La Paz. After each screening, debates are organised about the different challenges faced by the LGBT population in Bolivia, such as problems related to homophobia, discrimination, and lack of understanding in the family. The organisers aim to reach 1.000 visitors.

www.libertadglbt.org

Cambodia – We Want (u) to Know

The project We Want (u) to Know consists of community- and film-based outreach activities in Cambodia for the documentary We Want (u) to Know, which developed out of a series of interactive workshops with survivors of the Khmer Rouge genocide. From January to July 2012, 15 screenings are scheduled with rural communities, as well as 10 screenings at the University in Phnom Penh, increasing people’s understanding of the Khmer Rouge, which turned Cambodia into a killing field and imposed radical social transformation. The festival hopes 1.200-1.450 people will be reached with the screenings. www.we-want-u-to-know.com

Colombia - Cine al Barrio

From June to August 2011, the NGO Fundepaz organized 10 film screenings and debates, to raise awareness about the situation of victims of armed conflict in Colombia. Under the name “Cine al Barrio” (Neighbourhood Cinema) the film events took place in communal houses, schools and a theatre in Pasto, in the territory of Nariño (southwestern Colombia). Nariño is the stage of violent territorial disputes partly related to coca trade. The screenings attracted over 1.800 people and received great media attention. Community and governmental authorities were encouraged to better protect and assist victims of armed conflicts.

Ecuador – Bonito Doc

In the Summer 2012, a selection of eight documentary films focused on human rights, related to environmental and social issues, will be screened in three Ecuadorian seaside villages. The festival will take place along three days in each village. The film program will include both Ecuadorian and international short and feature length documentaries. The film events will allow local people to see and debate films that pertain their interest of preserving their right for a clean and diverse environment. The festival aims to reach 5.000 visitors. www.festivaledoc.org

Ecuador – Cine Amazónico

Cine Amazónico (Amazonian Film) is a mobile festival which will take place in February 2012 in four Amazonian cities of Ecuador: Puyo, Coca, Arajuno and Rukullakta. In each of these cities, 8 documentaries will be screened about issues related to the rights of indigenous peoples and other Ecuadorian citizens. With this project an estimated number of 3.200 will hopefully be reached. 2012 will be a crucial year for the Ecuadorian Amazon as the region is facing a massive intensification of mineral and oil development. The screenings and debates are organized by Fundación Pachamama, whose mission it is to promote an alternative development model based on respect for nature and human rights. www.pachamama.org.ec

Guatemala – III Muestra de Cine Internacional

In April 2012, the 3rd edition of the International Film Festival took place. The human rights situation in Guatemala, which has a dolorous history of genocide, human rights violations and impunity, is still rather fragile. Sixteen films were screened on themes related to memory, truth and justice in theatres in Guatemala-City and Quetzaltenango. For the first time the festival organised Cine 15+, a special programme which reached 1.325 youngsters. Filmmaker Stephanie Boyd presented a workshop for young activists on the use of media. The festival reached more than 7.000 visitors and lot of attention on TV and radio. As Plaza Publica stated: “This festival makes us see reality with fresh eyes and simply invites us to build better societies.”

Movies that Matter also supported the 2nd edition of the International Film Festival in 2011.

﻿India - Film festivals on Human Rights and Conflict Resolution

In Patna and Lucknow, 10 to 12 Indian and international documentary and feature films on conflict resolution and peace building will be screened. The festival in Patna will take place in February 2012. Two months later, a similar festival will be held in Lucknow. The organisors aim to reach 2.500 visitors. The organisation, AMAN Public Charitable Trust, has set up various film screenings in the past and has already formed informal cine societies. The film festival will encourage and empower these cine societies to conduct their activities in a long-term sustained manner.﻿﻿ www.amanpanchayat.org

Iraq - A Handful of Ash

In 2012 a series of screenings will be held of the Iraqi documentary “A Handful of Ash”, documenting female genital mutilation. Two screenings in Baghdad and one each in Basra, Erbil and Kirkuk will be held, with an expected audience of 500 people per screening, up to 2.500 in total. After each screening, Q&A sessions are scheduled. The practice of female genital mutilation is widespread in northern Iraq. The film serves as a tool to raise awareness, mostly among elites, about the harmful effects of these cultural practices.www.stopfgmkurdistan.org

Jordan – The Karama Human Rights Film Festival

The second edition of Karama Human Rights Film Festival, took place from 5-10 December 2011 in Amman, Jordan. The festival screened about 25 films, mainly from the region, and hosted debates, discussions and cultural activities in addition to the screenings. The festival runs for six days in the Royal Cultural Centre and at four universities outside Amman. The programme addressed themes such as freedom of expression, corruption, good governance and women’s rights. It honored the youth activists of the Arab revolution, by launching a three-day discussion forum for Arab youth activists. The forum featured screenings of new media videos and short films of the Arab world’s uprisings. In total the festival reached 9.540 spectators. www.karamafestival.org

Malawi - Human Rights Film in Schools

Building on a successful first edition of the Malawi Human Rights Film Festival the organization Advocacy Interaction Trust International designed a project specifically for students. From May to August 2011, twenty-two screenings were organised at schools, colleges and universities in six regions of Malawi. At each venue two films were screened, with debates held in between the screenings. Themes that were addressed include human trafficking, racism, HIV/AIDS and children’s rights. In general, students showed great interest in the films. Teachers also greatly appreciated the use of audiovisual material in their classes. They indicated a positive side-effect of the films, as the english and french-spoken films strongly contributed to the development of the language skills of their students. In total, 9.800 students and teachers were reached through this project. www.humanrightsfilmfestival.org.mw

Palestine – The Palestinian Mobile Cinema

How to give the people in Palestine, especially the most disadvantaged in the remote sectors of Palestinian society, the chance to enjoy Palestinian and international movies on a regular basis? “The Palestinian Mobile Cinema” provides the answer. The project ran for six months and has travelled to the rural villages and refugee camps of the West Bank to reach 7.000 visitors. The project included a total of ninety film screenings and a supporting program with discussions and debates. Films shown focused on children’s and women’s rights, youth issues and the right to be heard. This project, organized by Palestinian Social Cinema Arts Association (PSCAA), gathered communities to participate in a positive communal activity and was used as a tool for communication, dialogue and self-reflection for the communities. The PSCAA has been running the Palestinian Cinema for three years with great success. www.pscaa.wordpress.com

Peru – Media that Matter Film Series

Stephanie Boyd, director of The Devil Operation, took the initiative to organize mobile film screenings with her film and two other award winning films: Tambogrande, Mangos, Murder Mining and Unwanted Witness. The project targets peasant farming and indigenous communities in the Peruvian regions affected by the conflict over natural resources and aims to promote positive examples of non-violent resistance, including media advocacy and the importance of film to document human rights abuses. The project takes place from August 2011 – April 2012 in the regions Cusco, Puno, Cajamarca, Piura and Lima. It includes ten free public screenings, followed by debates with the filmmakers and the films’ protagonists for about 2.000 visitors. Each screening is accompanied by 2-4 day workshops on audio-visual production and media advocacy: how to ‘document, disseminate and denounce’ abuses, using available resources and technology. In addition, 500 DVDs of each film plus an educational booklet will be donated to grassroots organizations, community media, peasant farming and indigenous leaders, educators and activists in Peru. Boyd estimates about 130.000 viewers will watch the films through TV broadcasts or DVD distribution. www.guarango.org/diablo

Philippines – Active Vista Film Festival

During the Active Vista Film Festival 2012, which will take place from March to December 2012, fifteen human rights films will be shown in in six different parts of the country. Screenings, followed by discussions, will be held in various schools, communities and universities. Active Vista is a play on the Filipino word aktibista (activist), combining art and advocacy in a manner that challenges audiences to think. The festival shall culminate with a human rights themed short film competition, featuring works of young filmmakers. The festival aims to attract 4.500 visitors. www.dakila.org.ph

Philippines - Human Rights Cinema

In December 2011, the Cordillera Human Rights Alliance (CHRA) organised “Sine Karbengan” (Human Rights Cinema) at six different venues in Northern Luzon, Philippines. Here 24 short films and 15 short clips have been screened about human rights violations by the state, including enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings. The main featured documentary was Rimbaw (“to overcome”) chronicling the struggles and courage of families in Northern Luzon in their defense and assertion of human rights. The film screenings and discussions attracted a total of 2.900 people, mostly university students.

Russia – Side by Side Regional Programme

From December 2011 to July 2012, films from the Side by Side Festival (Saint Petersburg) will be screened in 5 other Russian cities. Film screenings will be followed by interactive discussions on the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons. In addition, other activities such as a photo exhibition, will be carried out in some of these places. The regional outreach activities will be held in Moscow, Novosibirsk, Kemerovo, Tomsk and Archangel. The organisers hope to reach 1.500-2.650 visitors and much media attention. Movies that Matter has financially supported one earlier edition of the Side by Side Regional Programme. www.bok-o-bok.ru

Senegal – AfricanBamba Festival

The first edition of the AfricanBamba Human Rights Film and Arts Festival is on its way. It will be inaugurated in November 2012 with a program of ten open-air film screenings, debates, lots of music concerts, arts exhibition and sport events to raise awareness on social contemporary issues affecting young people, migration and the environment. The 5-day festival takes place in Thiaroye, one of the banlieus of Dakar. In addition to the five-day event in Thiaroye, the festival will visit the ocean locations of Malika and Guedjowaye (not far from Dakar) with open-air film screenings and a concert. The films and debates deal with social issues such as migration, poverty and the environment, themes that are close the community. The festival aims to be an opportunity for community building and creating alliances for the process of empowerment, education and for the voicing of the concerns of the community and hopes to welcome 8.000 youths.

Serbia - Third Merlinka Queer Festival 2011

From 8 to 12 December 2011, the third edition of the Merlinka Queer Film Festival was held at the Belgrade Youth Center, Serbia. The festival specifically focused on the rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community (LGBT), aiming at promoting tolerance, gay emancipation and reduction of homophobia in Serbia. In October a poster competition was organized, the winning design of which was used to advertise the festival. Supported by the Serbian Ministry of Culture, the festival attracted a total of 628 visitors. The audience had the opportunity to watch 61 different films, of which the very popular queer film Weekend received the most positive responses. Since the Belgrade Pride Parade was cancelled, the Merlinka Queer Festival was Belgrade’s only public event for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community in 2011. www.merlinka.com

Southern Caucasus - Ciné-Mobile

The project “Ciné-Mobile” is an educational program for youth that involves film screenings in different locations. The screenings will take place during the first six months of 2012, at schools, cultural centers and local community centers. By screening human rights films from Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan to a young audience, the Noosfera Foundation aims to bring neighbors closer to each other, to initiate dialogue and to take away distrust among different ethnic groups in this region torn by civil wars, segregation and seperatism. The project aims to reach 2.000-2.800 visitors. www.cinemobilecaucasus.com

Thailand - Lifescapes Southeast Asian Film Festival

The 2nd edition of the Lifescapes Southeast Asian Film Festival screens documentary and feature films and many post-screening discussion sessions. The festival’s purpose is to raise awareness and understanding of human rights issues in Cambodia, Lao, Birma, Thailand and Vietnam. The festival will take place from 2 – 5 February 2012 at Payap University in Chiang Mai and aims to reach 4.000 students. The first edition, in 2011, was a huge success and attracted a very considerable (international) audience. www.filmfestival.payap.ac.th

Togo - Student, Messenger of the Value of Human Rights

The Alliance Internationale pour les Droits Fondamentaux de l’Homme (AIDFH) presents the “Student, messenger of the values of human rights” festival from October until December 2011. This film festival targets students in particular. It presented 24 screenings followed by discussions at twelve different schools and universities in the cities of Lomé, Tsévie, Kara and Dapaong. Along with the screenings, two trainings were held about the role of youth in school in human rights issues, a theatre contest was organised and 9 Human Rights Clubs were set up at the different high schools focusing on different themes like justice, transparancy, democracy, etc. In total, over 6.000 students were reached with the screenings and side activities. Movies that Matter also supported AIDFH’s previous project, the celebration of the International Human Rights Day 2010 with film screenings at schools and universities in various locations around Lomé. www.festival-droitsdelhomme.org/paris/lome

Turkey - Pembe Hayat QueerFest

Turkey's first-ever Queer Film Festival was held in Ankara from 17-24 November 2011. The Pink Life QueerFest was organized to raise awareness about the lives, problems and visions of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) and queer individuals, and to take stance against heterosexist, patriarchal and homophobic dynamics within Turkish society. Another main objective of the QueerFest, which attracted a total of 2.750 visitors, was to provide a space for the creation of a queer culture, through activities like tango and painting workshops. The opening film Zenne dancer, which tells the story of the murder of a homosexual man in Istanbul, was one of the most appreciated films screened. The festival was organised by Pembe Hayat (Pink Life), Turkey’s first transgender and queer rights association. Building on the success and passionate responses from the visitors, Pembe Hayat is planning to organize a second edition of the festival in November 2012. www.pembehayat.org

Ukraine - 8th Docudays UA Travelling Film Festival

From October to December 2011, the 8th edition of Docudays UA toured around the country, visiting 112 cities and towns in 22 regions of Ukraine. Traditionally, the annual Docudays UA International Festival in Kyiv continues as a traveling festival throughout Ukraine, screening the winning festival films and other documentaries. Themes of this year included corruption, economic difficulties, human rights and discrimination. In 2011, 625 screenings took place in 251 different locations, such as schools, universities, penal colonies, prisons, social centers, cinemas and community centers. The screenings attracted a total of 134,000 (mainly young) visitors. www.docudays.org.ua

Uruguay - 1st International Film Festival on Human Rights

From 20-24 June 2012, Uruguay’s first International Film Festival on Human Rights will be held. For this 5-day festival, named “Tenemos que Ver”, 60 projections of 30 films are scheduled for about 1.800 visitors. Each day will revolve around a specific theme, such as gender, diversity and earth & environment. The festival takes place in the centre and suburban areas of Montevideo. Roundtables about the films and their topics will also be organized during the festival, contributing to the dissemination, awareness and promotion of human rights in Uruguay and neighbouring countries. http://www.cotidianomujer.org.uy/

Uruguay - Llmale H

Despite recent progression in Uruguay, there still is a lot to gain when it comes to human rights of people from sexual minorities. The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) festival, Llamale H, aims to promote values of equality and respect of sexual and gender diversity. From 8-18 September 2011, the festival will be held in Montevideo, Uruguay. Fifty films will be screened, including 20 shorts, in the Hoyts Alfabeta cinemas and Cinemateca Uruguaya. This fifth anniversary edition of the Llama H will focus on “Sexual Diversity in Education”. As part of its decentralisation programme, after the festival screenings will also be organised in other provinces in Uruguay: Rivera, Salto, Melo and Mercedes. The communities in the provinces are less familiar with the LGBT issues than in Montevideo and it is therefore important to focus on them as well. The project aims to reach 5.000 visitors. http://www.llamaleh.org/

Zimbabwe - Youth Film Festival

Under the theme "Movies that Move", the 2nd OYA Youth Film Festival was held in Mutare, Zimbabwe. The films focused on the rights of children, women and people living with HIV/AIDS. The festival, which was held from 28 November to 2 December 2011, featured 6 African and 2 European productions. Screenings were held in 8 different venues in and around Mutare, including the Sakubva football stadium, the location of the World AIDS Day commemorations that day. The film screenings, organised by the Organisation for Youth Advancement (OYA), were attended by over 2.000 people. Especially young women showed interest in attending the festival.